Plan commission approves 89,000 sq ft ground-mounted solar array for MMSD at 8400 S. 5th Ave.

The Oak Creek Plan Commission approved plans May 12 for a ground-mounted solar array at the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District facility at 8400 South 5th Avenue.

Staff (Nick) said the proposed array will cover about 89,000 square feet and include two small utility buildings (an 8-by-8 transformer enclosure and a 16-by-9 switchboard enclosure). The project previously received three variances from the Board of Zoning Appeals allowing the array between the principal structure and the front property line, a panel height of 9.75 feet, and a 0-foot setback from existing wetlands.

As part of the plan the applicant will remove 21 existing trees and plant 99 new trees along western and northwestern edges and establish native prairie vegetation around the array for screening. Staff noted the plantings are expected to reach up to about 10 feet in height as they establish.

Michael Stoll (applicant representative) said the facility will be unmanned; inverters have an expected life of about 15 years and bifacial panels about 20 years, and smart inverters with Ethernet will provide remote trending so maintenance can be targeted when an inverter’s output deviates from the others.

Commissioners asked about security, fencing and the barbed wire topping on the existing fence; staff and the applicant said the array will be installed within the existing fenced area and the applicant plans to enclose an access drive near a public fishing pier at the southern end of the property. The plans include screening along 5th Avenue so the array is not visible from the right-of-way.

The commission moved and approved the site and architectural plans with conditions that maintain prior landscaping and screening requirements and standard code compliance.

Provenance: Topic introduced at SEG 556; motion and vote recorded through SEG 763.